Scheduled MonumentsWalesAllt yr Esgair Camp
Prehistoric · Hillfort

Allt yr Esgair Camp

Breconshire, Wales
Cadw SAM BR153
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Hillfort
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Allt yr Esgair Camp is a prehistoric hillfort situated on Lower Devonian bedrock composed of interbedded sandstone and conglomerate. This geological foundation, laid down during the Early Devonian period, creates a naturally defensible ridge of uneven terrain. The hillfort exploits this underlying stone structure, with its ramparts and ditches cut into and constructed upon the exposed rock outcrops. The site commands significant views across the surrounding Welsh landscape, typical of Iron Age hillforts positioned to control territory and provide early warning of approach.

The monument's construction reflects the defensive priorities of Iron Age communities, who selected locations where natural topography could be reinforced with human-made earthworks. The bedrock geology here would have both aided and constrained construction, offering stable foundations whilst presenting harder stone to excavate for ditch lines.

Allt yr Esgair Camp is protected as a scheduled ancient monument under Cadw reference BR153, ensuring its preservation as an important record of prehistoric settlement and territorial organisation in Wales.

Allt yr Esgair Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR153. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Allt yr Esgair Camp?

Allt yr Esgair Camp is a prehistoric hillfort situated on Lower Devonian bedrock composed of interbedded sandstone and conglomerate. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference BR153.

What period does Allt yr Esgair Camp date from?

Allt yr Esgair Camp dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a hillfort. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Allt yr Esgair Camp?

Allt yr Esgair Camp is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is BR153.

What other scheduled monuments are near Allt yr Esgair Camp?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Tor y Foel Deserted Rural Settlement (5.4 km), Carreg Wen Fawr y Rugos cairn cemetery (7 km), Carn Caws, round cairn to N of (7.5 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Allt yr Esgair Camp

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Allt yr Esgair Camp's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Allt yr Esgair Camp

Allt yr Esgair Camp stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.